Every single thing in this world has some essentials which constitute its basics and foundations. Whether it be any philosophical concept or a truly universal religion i.e. Islam.
Allah SWT has specified a few acts in Islam that are necessary to do for every person to be called a Muslim.
Five Pillars of Islam, It’s the five Fundamental makeup of Islam, this Religion ( Islam ) is considered mercy for All people on the earth. So what are the five Pillars of Islam and what do they mean?
Islam is a monotheistic religion that teaches that there’s only one divine being, one supreme creator of the universe.
The word of Islam means “ to submit one’s will to the will of Allah. Muslims believe that Islam is the true religion of Allah revealed to humanity so Islam is a complete, holistic way of living that covers every aspect of life.
It leaves no stone unturned as it teaches mankind how to behave in every area of life: individual, social, moral, political, cultural, or global.
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What are the Five pillars of Islam?
These five pillars are the basic foundations that define the boundaries of Islam. Every follower of Islam must pursue these five acts as mandatory deeds.
If we highlight the significance of these five pillars, with no doubt, they serve as the core link which strengthens the unity among the Muslims. Whether it be offering prayers five times a day in the mosque or performing pilgrimage to the Ka’bah, fasting in the month of Ramadan, or helping the underprivileged people of society through Zakat with the complete faith in Allah SWT and his last Prophet ﷺ.
The religion of Islam has been built on five pillars which means “the obligations that Muslims must satisfy to life and to bring them closer to Allah.
1-Belief ( shahadah)
Beliefs (shahada) is the 1st One of the Five Pillars of Islam. It’s Beliefs in One God and the declaration of Faith (Tawheed). It’s an Arabic term that refers to a unique belief in the oneness of God.
It refers to the belief that there is only one God that is worthy of worship.
Tawheed is the first and the most important pillar of the five pillars of Islam. So, when Muslims mention the name of Allah, they are calling out to the one true God of the universe.
However, believing and acting on this pillar is the key to entering Islam. You must pronounce the (El Shahada) in order to enter the religion of Islam or to be a Muslim.
It means that there is no God but Allah and Prophet Mohammed is His Messager. Al Shahada means also that no one deserves to be worshipped except Allah and his prophet.
There are two parts of the first half of the testimony of faith:
The first part is “Laa ilaha illa Allah”.
This part of the testimony nullifies all forms of worshipping anything or anyone other than Allah. With this phrase, you are affirming that Allah alone is the Creator, Ruler, and Sustainer of all things.
The second part is: “Mohammed Rasol Allah” peace be upon him.
This second part means to believe in this statement is to bear witness that Mohammed is the messenger of Allah, which means to follow what he says through obeying him in what he says to us to do and to avoid what He forbids.
2-Prayer (Salah)
On the occasion of Isra Wal Mairaj, Allah SWT gifted his beloved Prophet ﷺ and His Ummah the five prayers of the day. He also made it obligatory for every Muslim to offer these five prayers a day while facing Ka’bah.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ has highlighted the importance of Salah in hundreds of his Hadiths. A ritual of praying to Allah SWT purifies our heart and soul. It ultimately helps us to be better Muslims.
Prayer is the 2nd One of the Five Pillars of Islam. Salat is the second pillar of Islam and the most important pillar in Islam. It is the first thing that a person will be held accountable for the day of Judgment.
It performed in the direction of Mecca five times a day. Although salat can be performed alone, it is meritorious to perform it with another or with a group.
It is permissible to pray at home, at work, or even outdoors; however, it’s recommended that Muslims perform salah in a mosque.
There are five times a day that the Muslim performs which are: Al-fajr prayer, Al-Dhuhr prayer, AlAsr, Al-Maghreb, Al-Ishaa. Daily Prayers include a recitation of the opening chapter (surah) of the Quran and is sometimes performed on a small rug or mat.
Hence, men gather in the mosque for the noonday prayer on Friday and women are welcome but not obliged to participate.
3-Zakat
Islam is no doubt the best and the only true religion of this world. Through Zakat Allah SWT has created a social system through which wealth doesn’t get confined to the specific group of people. Instead, a system is created where wealth circulates from the affluent people who donates the specific percent (2.5%) of their wealth to the needy people of the society.
Zakah is the 3rd One of the 5 Pillars of Islam. Zakah literally means to clean something it recognizes by the meaning of charity in Islam. Zakat is an obligatory tax required of Muslim and one of the five pillars of Islam.
So, every year, all the Muslims must pay a 2.5% share of their held wealth to the poor where they cash, property, silver, or gold. Rather than our wealth, we should support the poor through our deeds towards those who need more help and support that help us enter Jannah.
It is not an optional act of generosity, but it’s a compulsory act that each qualifying Muslim needs to carry out annually.
The many benefits of giving zakat include some benefits like:
- Alms is a way of purifying one’s own wealth, it’s one of the Duties upon All rich Muslims.
- Promoting a balanced society with equality and fairness.
- Learning to share and help one another; observing society.
4.Sawm
Sawm (Saum) is an Arabic term that means fasting and particularly associated with Ramadan which is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar.
Fasting (sawm) is the fourth pillar of Islam and regarded as an act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a richer perception of God. However, Fasting is also an exercise in self-control whereby one’s sensitivity is heightened to the suffering of the poor.
During Ramadan, fasting requires Muslims to abstain from food, beverages, including water, sexual intercourse, and other activities during daylight hours. Muslims break their fast at sunset.
With a special meal or Iftar and perform additional nocturnal worship after fasting, called Taraweeh, after evening prayer. Ramadan is the month during which the Holy Quran was revealed to the prophet Mohammed.
There are three days observed with a celebration at the end of Ramadan called Eid Al-Fitr, the feast of the breaking of the fast.
5-Hajj
pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a time that all the Muslims from around the world congregate in Mecca to worship God and perform several rituals to increase faith.
Literally, pilgrimage means to intend to visit. In Shari’ah, Hajj is the act of going to Mecca, circumambulating the Kaaba, and staying in the field of Arafat in order to perform the necessary acts of worship and rituals in certain ways at certain times.
وَلِلّٰهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الۡبَيۡتِ مَنِ اسۡتَطَاعَ اِلَيۡهِ سَبِيۡلًا ؕ وَمَنۡ كَفَرَ فَاِنَّ اللّٰهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنِ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ ۞
And [due] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House – for whoever is able to find thereto a way. But whoever disbelieves – then indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds. (Al-e-Imran: 97)
It falls in the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar, through a journey that every Muslim is obligated to take at least once in their lifetime. It is also a spiritual time that allows you to become closer to Allah.
In performing the pilgrimage, a pilgrim follows the order of ritual that the prophet Mohammed performed during his last pilgrimage. hajj is followed by the festival of Eid A- Adha.
Studying these Five Pillars is so important as they are the main basic foundation of Islam and they are mentioned in Quran and Sunnah many times.
These are the five pillars of Islam. It is important to remember that Islam is a religion that encourages and promotes peace and love between Muslims. So, such these acts of humanity are essential upon all able much Zakat you own.
Every Muslim should do every pillar as mentioned in Qur’an and apply it to sincerity. These five Pillars of Islam are mentioned in this Famous Hadith in Sunnah
On the authority of Abdullah, the son of Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, “Islam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the salah (prayer), paying the zakat (obligatory charity), making the hajj (pilgrimage) to the House, and fasting in Ramadhan.” [Bukhari & Muslim]
This is a simple guide of the framework of the five pillars of Islam that every Muslim should have faith in and it’s so important as it’s fundamental constituents of Muslim life so Muslim can’t be a true Muslim except after doing all these known practices (shahāda, performing five prayers, almsgiving, Ramadan Fasting, pilgrimage)
So, in order to summarize, the five pillars of ISLAM that we discussed above are:
- Belief ( shahadah)
- Prayer (Salah)
- Zakat
- Sawm
- Hajj
